ANGELEYES, dbh connor

TWENTY-NINE

HEARTBREAK HOTEL
━━━━━━(●'ω｀●)━

JIMMY'S BAR IS PRETTY quiet, even if it's only six in the afternoon, and so it seems your presence isn't really making anyone too uncomfortable. Of course, Jimmy shoots you and your partners a strange look as soon as you enter, but that's about all the attention you receive.

Soft rock music plays in the background, barely audible over the sound of the howling wind from outside the establishment, and your partners seem very at home here.

Hank and Connor take their seats by the bar and you opt to stay standing, and instead lean next to the Detective. You notice how he shivers slightly and snuggles into his thick layers of hoodies and jumpers.

You eye him curiously, a small smile playing on your lips. "Do you wish for me to warm you up, Detective?" you ask seriously, and he laughs, the sound sweet and soft like what you imagine honey nectar tastes like.

"What, worried you'll get stuck looking after me again?" Connor says with a broad smile.

The way his nose lightly scrunches up and disturbs the freckles splattered across it reminds you of tea stains on a sheet of paper.

Why are you thinking like that?

You frown and redirect your attention to the bar, ignoring Connor's quip entirely. Jimmy casually saunters over to the three of you, his eyes set on Hank.

"What can I getcha, Hank?" he asks, voice gruff. He side-eyes you distrustfully and you pointedly glance away from him, not wishing to bring him any discomfort. Especially not if it could get you kicked out of the bar.

Hank hums, "Eh, I'm gettin' bored of whiskey. How 'bout a rum and coke? What 'bout you, Connor?"

"Uhh," Connor tilts his head to the side, "can I get a Rosso Martini?"

Jimmy nods, "You gottit," and stares at you strangely before he moves further down the bar and over to the drinks corner.

Hank sends Connor a judgemental look, "A Rosso? Really? Shit, kid, at this rate, you're gonna have a heart attack aged 30. All the damn sugar you have... The hell..."

"We all gotta die of something," says the detective, his voice playful as he recites Hank's signature words.

You smile slightly, "I'm glad to know that taking five sugars with your coffee isn't considered normal among humans. It's just a Connor thing."

Hank laughs, it sounding like the funniest thing he's heard all day. After a long moment, he sighs and stares at the glossy bench, his eyes slowly dimming, just like they always do. Although you've only known the man for about a month*, he's getting easier to read.

"You remembered that?" Connor blinks in a surprised manner as he stares at you.

His earlobes are flushed a tender pink and his expression reminds you of a fawn, all wide-eyed and puzzled. You stare at him with a slight smile, basking in his surprise.

"Of course, I have folders saved for each of you," you respond simply. "To help further integrate my transition into society and to ensure cases will be solved quickly, I've been programmed with decent people-watching skills."

"Jeez," Connor looks away from you and straightens his head, "way to make a guy feel special."

You take note of the minuscule frown on his face. His tone of voice is playful, but the words he uses seem to have an underlying meaning. It makes no sense to you why that would've upset him.

Strangely enough, something squeezes at the thirium pump in our chest. It stutters to life, beats quickening in pace as the tight feeling slowly disappears.

"I..." You hesitate to speak, your artificial tongue feeling clumsy in your mouth.

Jimmy comes back from making Hank and Connor's drinks and slides them down in front of your partners smoothly. Without any delay, Hank takes a long gulp from his glass.

He sighs, seeming satisfied for the first time that hour, "Ah. Thanks, Jimmy."

You are special, you think. Both of you are. You're my partners. But you can't say that... It feels too wrong to utter such sincere words as an Android. Like you'd be breaking some unspoken rule or you'd be going against your coding.

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ⍓...

Connor stirs his martini quietly and you're at a loss of what to say or do. Hank is too absorbed in his own thoughts to be of much use either, and an awkward tension is slowly rising.

"You don't want anything?" Jimmy's voice catches your attention and when you look up, you see him staring at you impatiently.

You look down at your body to see your typical Android uniform and look back at Jimmy, "..."

"Any oil? Fuckin'... bleach? Whatever it is you Androids drink?"

Hank snorts.

You smile uncomfortably. "...No, thank you. I appreciate the offer nonetheless."

Awkwardly clearing his throat, Jimmy swaggers away with a clean rag in his hand. He continues wiping down the bar idly and you watch him in silence for a long moment. That was certainly a strange interaction to have.

Connor sips from his martini and looks at you, "Have you gone to Cyberlife to get a check-up yet? Y'know, because of those issues you were having?"

Blink. Blink. You stare at him, hesitating.

"Not yet, I suppose I just... haven't had the time to mention it."

He takes another sip from the martini straw and it makes an obnoxious noise in the bar's peaceful quiet. Connor stares at you like he knows something that you haven't figured out yet, like he can see through you -- past you.

You avoid his eyes and instead choose to stare at the television mounted on the wall. It plays the news, which at first, seems fairly ordinary. But then the broadcast is interrupted with-...

Footage of a protest. Of Androids marching the street for freedom.

"...Why do they want to be free so badly?" you whisper. "Why do they feel like they deserve it? Why do they dare to feel? I don't... understand."

From your right, Connor side-eyes you. "I think you do. Understand, I mean."

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ⍓...

Hank coughs and slams his glass down, "Another one, Jimmy! A double this time!"

Jumping, Connor whips around and slaps the back of his shaggy head, "Lieutenant! You said you weren't going to get drunk today. No more! You know how you are when you've had too much to drink! How am I going to look after you?"

AUTHOR'S NOTE: *i changed the timeline a little bit -- sorry if it's a little wonky seeming now! also I'm definitely not subtle but I'm tryna use the word "feel" more often, hint hint, because I tried really hard to avoid it in the earlier chapters (which was a struggle, lemme tell you-)

anyway, I hope you enjoyed!!! thank you for the views, votes -- and interactions! i really appreciate it, I seriously do. thank you. :^DDD